Matters of the Heart
by Kuailong
Summary: Darcy saves Jane in the midst of battle, leaving her seriously injured. The Avengers rally around her and Jane, while Bruce and Tony invent.


"Darcy! Darce, wake up! Please!" Jane was clutching her former intern's shoulders, gently shaking the other woman.

They weren't even supposed to be in that area of Manhattan, Jane thought. Darcy had dragged her here, with the intent of buying a new iPod. They hadn't expected to be caught up in the Avenger's latest battle. And when her best friend had shoved her out of the way-

"Darcy, please. You need to wake up, we need to get out of here." The enormous robot that had knocked Darcy into the wall was occupied, but Jane didn't know for how long.

"Guys, I think I see Jane and Darcy." They all heard Clint's voice over the comm. Link. There was a pause before Clint spoke again. "Shit! Darcy's been hit." Clint loosed a volley of arrows at the offending robot. "I think this thing is the leader, one of you needs to get over there." The others detected a hint of urgency in their teammate's voice.

Jane heard, rather than saw, Iron Man fly overhead. She was still far too occupied with trying to wake Darcy. Minutes later she felt something large land behind her.

"Jane, you are unhurt?" Thor's booming voice sounded behind her. The astrophysicist swiftly turned and looked up at her demigod boyfriend.

"N-no. I'm fine. But Darcy, she won't wake up..." Tears were streaming down her face as she looked up at Thor. He knelt down and enveloped Jane in a hug.

"Worry not, the battle is almost over. Our friends will be here to assist us soon." As if on cue, Jane heard the large robot topple over. It wasn't long before Tony landed nearby. He flipped up his visor and nodded at Thor and Jane before kneeling down beside Darcy. He began checking her over and Jane watched his face. There was a brief flicker of worry that caused Jane's heart to clench. The billionaire began barking out orders.

"Clint, get Bruce over here ASAP." While he was talking, Jane dully noted he had placed his hands on Darcy's chest. "Thor, back her up a bit." Jane weakly protested as Thor pulled her back, out of the way. She truly started to panic when she realized what Tony was doing. Dimly, she heard him talking to his AI, but she was focused on the way Darcy's body jerked as each pulse of electricity tore through her body. Thor held her close and was whispering reassurances into her ear. It was too much for her, and she promptly passed out in Thor's gentle embrace.

"Clint, where's Bruce?" Tony asked through his comm. He continued to kneel in the rubble beside Darcy. His initial panic had subsided, his own version of high powered CPR having worked. He was still worried, however, as her pulse was weak and thready and she was barely breathing. He looked up to see Thor adjusting his grip on an unconscious Jane. "She's not hurt, right?" He asked. Thor shook his head.

"I believe it was too much for her." Tony nodded. They were only civilians, despite being friends with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Bruce suddenly appeared beside him, gently pushing him out of the way. Tony stood up and backed out of Bruce's way, turning to face both Clint and Natasha.

"Do we know why they were here?" Clint asked, his expression guarded as he watched Bruce work.

"The Apple store." Natasha said and pointed at the storefront with half of a robot in it. They all knew Darcy's fondness for iPods, for all that Tony promised her the latest Stark mp3 player. Bruce suddenly spoke up.

"We need to get her to a hospital, preferably one where I can help." He said, still concentrating on the young woman before him.

"I'll take her to the medical floors of Stark Tower, you fly with Thor." Tony decided. Bruce looked apprehensive and Thor looked down at Jane. Natasha walked up beside him and crouched down.

"Clint and I will make sure she gets back safe." She said, reaching out to take his girlfriend. Thor looked worried for a moment before relinquishing his hold to his teammate. Tony had already carefully picked Darcy up and was gently cradling her against his chest.

"Careful." Bruce warned, standing up. The billionaire nodded and took off, flying more carefully than any of the others had seen him. Thor looked down at Bruce.

"May I?" And Bruce nodded. The demigod wrapped an arm around Bruce and took off, following the direction Tony had taken.

Natasha and Clint sat down, Nat gently holding Jane, and waited for her to come around. The two didn't have to wait long, as Jane started stirring in Natasha's arms. "Jane?" The assassin called gently, and was rewarded with opening eyes.

"Where's Thor?" She asked, sitting up on her own and looking around. "Where's Darcy?!" She could feel the panic bubbling up again. Natasha placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thor flew Bruce back to the tower, and Tony took Darcy back. She's in good hands." Jane started to calm down ever so slightly.

"Can you walk?" Clint suddenly asked. Jane nodded and pulled herself to her feet. "Let's go back to the tower." He said, picking a safe path through the rubble. The two women followed behind.

Jane sat in the small, but well-furnished waiting room attached to one of the medical floors. Coulson had come to drag Clint and Natasha off to some sort of debriefing. She was alone, and she sorely wished Thor was here with her. So she sat, arms wrapped around herself, locked in her own little world. She kept replaying the past few hours in her mind, her guilt growing each time. "It's not your fault, you know." Steve's voice jolted her back to reality. He sat down on the chair next to her and offered a cup of coffee to her. She gladly accepted, and scalded her tongue on the first sip.

"It is. It should have been me." She said softly, staring at the floor.

"Coulson had us review the footage, it wasn't. You know Darcy, we all do." He said, drinking his coffee with abandon. They sat in silence for a while before Bruce suddenly walked in. Jane's head shot up and she looked at the doctor pleadingly. Tony strolled in behind him.

"She's stable, but..." He trailed off.

"But?" Jane was terrified of the answer, but she had to know.

"Her heart's not going to last much longer. The blow she took did a lot of internal damage. We've repaired most of it, but there's not much we can do about her heart." Jane fought back the fear and the hysterics. Then, Tony spoke up.

"Actually, there is something we can do. I have a prototype that just might work with some tweaking. But we'd need your permission. You and Dr. Selvig are listed as her next of kin." Jane looked between the two men worriedly.

"Prototype for what? And what are the chances of it actually working?" She managed, when inside she was screaming YES. Tony looked at Bruce and produced a tablet. He tapped at it for a few minutes before handing it to her.

"A glorified pacemaker, really. It would power her heart. It would also be entirely internal, unlike this." He tapped the arc reactor. Jane stared at the tablet in her hands, trying to understand what was before her. She understood a little, but medical engineering was not her strong suit.

"It would up her chances of surviving to about eighty percent." Bruce said softly. Eighty percent, not a hundred. Jane mulled that over for a few minutes, balancing the pros and cons. She knew Darcy would be on board in a heartbeat, but she didn't always think things through. Finally, she took a deep breath and said.

"Do it." She said with finality. Tony looked gleeful and took off practically running down the hall.

"It will take us a few days to put this together. We have that much time, at least." Bruce said, looking at her gently. Jane nodded.

"Can I see her?" She asked, her voice only cracking a little.

"Of course. This way." And he started off down the hall at a more sedate pace.

When Bruce opened the door to Darcy's room, Jane had to bite back a gasp. She approached the bed slowly, hands clenching into fists to keep from breaking down right there. Darcy didn't even look alive, she was pale and still. There were wires and tubes everywhere. She sat down heavily on the chair beside the bed. Gently, she wrapped her hand around Darcy's, careful of the IV line. Jane stared at her friend's face, deciding in that moment that the tube down her throat was much more terrifying than the blood down her chin had been.

"I'm going to help Tony." Bruce said, Jane just nodded. She didn't know how long she sat there, clutching her best friend's hand. She barely noticed as Thor pulled up a chair beside her and puller her into an embrace. She didn't even notice when she drifted off, the day's events taking their toll on her.

She awoke in her bed, Thor wrapped around her. She panicked, trying to tug herself out of Thor's iron grip. She noticed the clock on their bedside table. Eight in the morning. She'd barely gotten any sleep, maybe a few hours. She had been sitting with Darcy the entire night. Suddenly the previous day's events hit her. She wiggled out of her boyfriend's grip and went to the bathroom to make herself presentable. After a shower and change of clothes, she felt much better. She left Thor slumbering in bed as she went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. A piece of toast was all she could stomach. Once in the elevator she requested JARVIS take her to Darcy's apartment. Jane wandered around until she found what she was looking for. Darcy's laptop, which she found in the living room, and her old stuffed bear, from the bedroom. Jane couldn't remember a night that had gone by that Darcy didn't have that dilapidated bear in her arms. She was mentally kicking herself for forgetting it last night. Armed with those two objects, Jane steeled herself for another visit to Darcy's hospital room.

She was mildly surprised to see Natasha sitting in the chair beside Darcy's bed. She quirked an eyebrow at the ragged bear. Jane sat down on the other side of the bed. "She's had it forever, she still sleeps with it." Jane said by way of an explanation. She nestled the bear in the crook of Darcy's arm that had the least amount of tubing in it.

"She hasn't been alone. We've taken shifts, Coulson too." Natasha said quietly. Jane looked surprised, then smiled.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"Isn't that her laptop?" The assassin asked. Jane nodded.

"I need to email her professors. And..." She drifted off, a grimace on her face.

"And?" Natasha was curious as to what would make Jane make that face.

"I need to pull her parent's address off. They should be told." Natasha noticed the grimace was still on the gentle woman's face.

"You can't call them?" She asked, studying the other woman's face carefully.

"No, it would be better they be told in person. Maybe..." She sighed before continuing. "They're not pleasant people, Natasha, but this just might convince them that Darcy is worthwhile. I need to handle this carefully."

"You can use my private jet, no airlines. You'll be there and back in no time." Tony suddenly interjected, strolling into the room. He was still in his clothes from yesterday, and looked like he hadn't slept. "Need measurements." He said to explain. "JARVIS, set the jet for Jane's use when she's ready." He called to his AI. It almost shocked Jane that JARVIS was in this room, almost.

"Thank you, Tony." Jane was relieved, it would be much quicker than taking an airline. He nodded as he walked over, swiped something across Darcy's chest, and walked right out.

"You should have one of the team go with you, just in case. I offer myself if you want." Natasha said, eying Jane as she typed on the laptop.

"In that case, would you come, Natasha?" Jane's voice was hesitant, but grateful she would have company.

"Of course." The red head answered, giving Jane a small smile.

"Think we can leave in two hours?" Jane asked, closing the laptop and setting it on Darcy's bedside table.

"I'll arrange it." Nat said, standing up and leaving. Jane stayed with Darcy for an hour, talking to her. It soon came time for her to prepare for the flight to Texas. She dressed conservatively, realizing she forgot to warn Natasha. When she met the other woman in the parking garage, she realized she didn't have to warn her. The assassin was dressed in a conservative dress, hair pulled back into a bun. Jane smiled at her.

"You looked them up, didn't you?" Natasha shrugged, as if to say of course. They got into the car waiting and settled in.

The flight and following ride to Darcy's parent's house was uneventful. Natasha asked questions about Darcy and her parents and Jane did her best to answer. When they reached the Lewis' farm, Natasha took in her surroundings. It looked well maintained, almost meticulous to her trained eye. The Audi bumped along the dirt driveway, pulling to a stop beside a plain white farmhouse. David Lewis stood on the porch frowning. Jane paused in the car, hesitant to get out. Natasha had no such hesitation and she easily stepped out of the car. She did her best to look demure, letting Jane handle this. Jane stepped out of the car and strode up the pathway. "Jane." Mr. Lewis said, voice dripping with contempt. Natasha followed behind and to the right of her, for which Jane was grateful.

"Mr. Lewis." She said, keeping her feelings out of her voice. "Darcy's been in an accident. May we step inside, I think you both need to hear this." She was taking control of the situation, and she could easily tell David Lewis was furious. But he let them inside. They found Mrs. Lewis on a chair, knitting. Jane inclined her head to the frail woman.

"Out with it." Mr. Lewis barked, turning to face the two women. Jane sighed internally.

"Darcy was hit by a truck yesterday. The EMTs managed to save her, but her heart was damaged. The firm we work for has offered to supply Darcy with something akin to a pacemaker. I accepted, as I am listed as next of kin. She is in a private hospital in New York City." SHIELD had ordered a cover up for this, and Jane agreed that was best. She handed David Lewis a piece of paper, detailing the private hospital in Stark Tower. He looked furious, ripping the paper in half.

"She's dead to us, then!" He hollered.

"She's alive, Mr. Lewis." Jane said calmly. The large man stalked up to her, towering over her.

"Not with your new age science! It is the devil's work. Just like what you do, and have roped our daughter into. Get out!" He stood over her, raising his hand. In the blink of an eye Natasha had him pinned to the ground. She had an elbow to his airway, cutting off oxygen to the big man.

"Darcy is alive, we saved her life. She does excellent work for our agency, and it seems we appreciate her a hell of a lot more than you do." Natasha practically snarled. Her dress had ripped, but she was beyond caring at that point. "I could kill you right now for threatening Jane, but I don't think that's what Darcy wants. So I'm going to let you live, and we're going to walk out of here. And I strongly consider rethinking your beliefs, because your so called devil has saved your daughter's life." Natasha nimbly hopped up, grabbed Jane by the elbow, and marched her out. Once they were in the car Natasha looked at Jane. "Has he ever tried to do that to you or Darcy before?" Jane shook her head.

"No." She put her head in her hands. "I don't know how to tell Darcy this." Jane sighed. "I've never seen him so angry." She shook her head. Natasha reached over and gripped Jane's shoulder.

"At least she'll be around so you can tell her. We should be grateful for that." Natasha said softly. It comforted Jane slightly. Natasha took out her phone and dialed Clint. She talked to him in hushed tones for a while, Jane relaxing on the other side of the seat. She didn't even notice when Nat hung up.

"Jane?" The woman in question looked over at her. "That was Clint. There's been no changes with Darcy, but Tony and Bruce have finalized the design and have started to build it. Tony gave an estimate of thirty six hours." Nat gave a small smile at that. Jane returned the smile. After that, they talked softly about inconsequential things. Jane drifted off on the plane ride back. Thor met the car as it pulled up. He was about to speak when Natasha shushed him and pointed to Jane, sleeping in the car. Thor nodded and carefully picked her up and took her to bed.

The next three days went by slowly for Jane. She spent her days with Darcy, the Avengers made sure she ate. At night, Thor convinced her to sleep. On the third day, the fourth since Darcy had been struck down, an exhausted but excited Tony barreled into the room telling them it was finished. Bruce came in and bustled everyone out, Jane just barely remembering to grab Darcy's bear before the two geniuses pushed them out of the room. "It will take a few hours to install, no more than four hours, though." Bruce had quietly told her before disappearing. Jane sat in the waiting room once again, clutching Darcy's bear and leaning on Thor. It was only three hours when Bruce entered the room, triumphant. Tony bustled in behind him grinning from ear to ear.

"Success!" He told the assembled group.

When Jane entered Darcy's room, she was relieved the see there were less machines, and the tube had been replaced with an oxygen mask. She could feel the Avengers behind her, but she was focused on Darcy. Jane sat down next to her friend and clutched her hand. Bruce came up beside her. "She should wake up as soon as the drugs wear off." He said, smiling. "Thank you." She choked out. If Bruce and Tony thought everything was alright, maybe she could believe it too. She nestled the bear back into Darcy's arms. And she waited. They waited with her, for which she was grateful.

Jane nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Darcy's hand twitch. Instantly she was leaning in, calling Darcy's name. It took a few minutes but the younger woman's eyes slowly slid open. "Darce." Jane breathed, relieved.


End file.
